Solve for $a$ : $-14 = 24 + a$
Solution: Subtract $24$ from both sides: $ \begin{eqnarray} \\ \hphantom{-14 {- 24}} &\hphantom{=}& \hphantom{a} \\ -14 &=& 24 + a \\ \\ {-24} && {-24} \\ \end{eqnarray} $ $ \begin{eqnarray} \\ -14 {- 24} &=& a \\ \end{eqnarray} $ Simplify. $ a = -38$